The Truth That Must Be Known
After the incredible Happiness stepped into the boss room, the sounds of battle soon echoed out.
BOOM!BOOM!KABOOM!
Brutal shockwaves strong enough to shake the entire building erupted one after another. About five minutes later, she walked back out looking completely untouched.
“It’s done. Come in.”
“Already finished?”
“Yeah.”
Wow. She really just soloed a C-rank gate boss that easily? She was unbelievably strong.
“Once you’ve harvested all the mana stones, head over there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After carving out the massive mana stone from what had to be the boss ogre, I moved in the direction she indicated. What appeared before me was a translucent red crystal pillar about one and a half meters tall. Inside, faint strands of what looked like pure mana flowed like veins.
“What… is this?”
“It’s better if you don’t know.”
“Ah… understood….”
If she wasn’t going to tell me, why even bring me here? This woman was impossible to understand.
“Now get closer.”
“Sorry?”
“I said get closer to that crystal.”
“Isn’t… that kind of dangerous?”
“...You’re way too much of a coward. It’s not dangerous, so just go. Stop making me repeat myself.”
“Understood….”
I approached the crystal with a mix of doubt and hesitation. The farther I got, the more the air around me seemed to change. Everything suddenly fell silent, then a faint murmuring sound began to reach my ears.
“How is it? Feeling anything?”
“I… think I hear some kind of noise.”
Happiness asked quietly.
“That’s all?”
“Mm… and I feel a bit strange.”
“What kind of feeling?”
The truth was, from the moment that murmuring reached me, a certain desire had begun to boil up from deep inside.
“I want to smash it.”
“Smash what? That thing?”
“Yes.”
“......”
Happiness stayed silent for a long time.
“What should I do…?”
“Smash it.”
“Excuse me…?”
“I said smash it. You, personally.”
“But… no matter how you look at it, destroying something when I don’t even know what it is seems a bit…”
I mean, come on. It was obviously shady as hell. A blatantly suspicious object sitting inside a gate? Who in their right mind would just smash it without knowing what might happen?
“Isn’t this dangerous? I don’t even know what it is…”
“Hurry up and break it. If you keep acting scared, I’ll smash your skull instead.”
Well then. If she was going to smash my skull, I didn’t have much choice.
The cold gaze I felt piercing through her helmet sent a chill down my spine.
I drew my sword.
And without hesitation, I brought it down on the crystal.
KWAAAAANG!!!!!
The crystal shattered. Something that had been flowing inside it suddenly rushed into me.
“Huh…?”
Whatever had been inside the crystal was now being sucked into my body. At the same time, a scene began flashing through my mind.
That’s right. This was just like when I had grabbed that sword that flew into my house last time.
A completely different landscape unfolded before my eyes.
Someone was dying right in front of me.
My vision was blurred by endless tears. I couldn’t see anything.
Who was that person?
A piercing, ringing sound tore at my ears.
Then, cutting through the tinnitus, a woman’s voice reached me.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”
The voice of a dying woman. Mixed with the ringing, I couldn’t tell who it was. I wasn’t even sure if it was a voice I knew.
“Still, I know you can definitely do it. I believe in you.”
It hurt so much. The pain felt like my heart was being ripped apart.
“You are the only hope. I love you.”
Those were her last words before she stopped breathing.
I held her corpse and wailed.
And I kept thinking.
Why did it have to end up like this? What should I have done differently? What was I supposed to do from now on?
I endlessly blamed and regretted.
That day, I lost the person I loved in the most meaningless way possible.
“Huh…?”
My mind returned to reality.
In the illusion, I hadn’t been able to move according to my own will. I couldn’t control a single thought or emotion. I had simply been an observer inside that vision.
Now I could move my body freely again. It seemed I had finally escaped that place.
The crushing sense of loss and pain that had gripped my heart began to slowly fade. But one thing remained exactly the same.
What the hell…?
My vision still hadn’t returned. Everything was still blurry, making it hard to even tell where I was.
“Ah…”
Tears. My eyes were still full of them.
I quickly wiped them away with my sleeve. Slowly, my sight returned. Looking around, I realized I was back in the boss room.
And right beside me stood Happiness, watching silently.
I should tell her… right?
I needed to tell her what I had seen. And I needed to ask her what the hell I had just witnessed.
I had experienced a similar vision once before when I grabbed that sword. Happiness definitely knew something. That had to be why she brought me here.
It was too confusing. Too terrifying. Too painful.
I didn’t think I could handle it alone.
“Um… Happiness…”
I tried to speak to her. About what I had seen. About the emotions I had felt.
But.
“Just… don’t say anything.”
“Sorry…?”
“I said don’t say anything. It’s fine….”
“......”
I had no way of knowing what expression Song Eun-chae’s face held behind that helmet.
She simply stood there.
Staring at me.
Without saying a single word.
With an expression I couldn’t read.
Just watching me.
For a very long time.
“We’re here. Get off.”
“Thank you for driving me.”
Song Eun-chae had kindly dropped me off right in front of my house.
“I might call you again sometime. Make sure you answer when I contact you.”
“Yes, I will.”
“And… you worked hard today. Get some good rest…”
“Not at all. Thanks to you, I had a valuable experience. Please head in safely.”
I bowed deeply to her before entering the house.
What the hell was that vision I saw earlier…?
Was it something from the future?
Or someone else’s memory?
Did it have something to do with my Gacha System?
Why did these things keep happening to me?
What exactly did Song Eun-chae know?
And why wouldn’t she tell me anything?
The questions multiplied endlessly, growing larger and larger. They kept swirling in my head without any answers.
But.
Now wasn’t the time to waste brain cells on pointless worries.
(Current Points: 1,290pt)
“Kuhahahahaha!!”
Thanks to Happiness’s insane high-speed bus service, I had gathered enough points to roll the gacha without much trouble!
Wait.
Before I spun the gacha, there was one item I had received as an achievement reward after that vision.
◈ Stops the target’s heart for 2 seconds.
◈ ※ Caution: Does not cause any actual health problems.
“Hmm… what the hell is this?”
Heart Failure Experience. Just reading the name already gave off massive scam vibes.
An item that could stop someone’s heart for two seconds. It didn’t actually inflict any disease or lasting damage, and it was a one-time use with that terrible limitation.
Where the hell am I supposed to use this? Isn’t this basically a dud…?
Well, it was an achievement reward for seeing one vision, so I couldn’t really complain. It didn’t seem useful right now, but maybe it would come in handy someday.
I’ll just keep it for now!
Alright then. It was finally time!
The long-awaited Gacha Time!!
Let’s roll!!
★ GACHA ★ Test your luck once again today!
Would you like to roll the gacha now?
Current Points: 1,290pt
10-Roll: 1,000pt
“Let’s go!!!!!!!”
Badabam badabam badabam badabam—
The solemn sound I hadn’t heard in a while.
And the results were…
[N] Good Looks
[N] Good Looks
[N] C-Type Charging Cable
[R] Curse Removal
[N] C-Type Charging Cable
[R] Gigantification
[R] Tip Card
[N] C-Type Charging Cable
[SR] Mana Absorption
[N] Manana
Oh. Ooooooh!!
Three rares! And one super rare!
Let’s check the important ones one by one!
◈ Removes a curse from the designated target.
Simple explanation!
A curse, huh…
I already knew there were curse-type hunters. I’d never seen one myself, but their existence was a fact.
This could be useful later. Keeping it!
◈ Permanently and dramatically enlarges the designated target’s “size” in that area.
◈ Additionally greatly increases male hormone levels.
◈ ※ Note: Essential if you desire a harem.
Harem? As in dating a ridiculous number of women?
Of course, ever since the world of hunters opened up, polygamy had become extremely common. It had been legalized a long time ago.
Still, since I had never dreamed of a harem before, it felt a bit ambiguous.
But there’s no reason for a man to turn down being bigger. Plus it comes with legal doping?
So I used it immediately.
Gigantification has been applied to Yoo Ji-min.
Wait a second.
When I consumed Good Looks, my face had tingled.
When I used Stamina Amplification, my whole body had grown hot.
Ha-eun had said that when she experienced Mana Amplification, her… well, her core had felt hot.
So if Gigantification was applied, then my “that place” would…?
Before I could even finish the thought, it hit me.
“UAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!”
A pain like it was going to explode. It felt like someone was repeatedly kicking my balls with full force.
“Kuaaaaagh!!! Fuck!! Stop!! Make it stop!!!!”
After rolling around foaming at the mouth for about five minutes, the pain slowly subsided.
“Haa… haa… I really thought I was going to die…”
I had endured countless pains before, but this was the first time I experienced agony like this. A shockingly intense pain I never wanted to feel again.
I immediately pulled down my pants.
“Whoa… it’s seriously huge…?”
Insane size!
It was basically a club at this point. If my main weapon had been a dagger before, I could probably swing this thing instead.
It was worth enduring that pain…
I hadn’t exactly been small before, but this was on another level. A size so impressive no race on Earth could compare. My pride as a man skyrocketed.
And above all else.
“Ooh! Ooooooh!!”
The feeling of testosterone surging. I was in a state of full natural steroid doping!
Yes! I’m overflowing with energy!! My strength has increased a lot too! Extremely satisfied!!
Now then, shall we look at the next one?
I already knew what the tip card was, so I skipped it.
When I checked the super rare…
◈ Absorbs mana from mana stones or objects containing mana.
◈ The absorbed mana permanently settles within the user.
“Eh? Eh…?”
I hit the jackpot!!
The ultimate trait that would completely solve my mana problems!